The Incident Going to see Taylor Swift

For my birthday my mom and I went to Taylor Swift's Speak Now concert at the Tacoma Dome.  It was so  awesome!!!!  But let me back up and tell you the whole story.  We had been having car problems before, the car had overheated a couple times in the last few months.  Then, of course we had to be stuck in traffic right before the concert started and... our car overheated.  I was worried, but I really started freaking out when steam started rising from the front of the car.  At this time, we could see the Tacoma Dome we were that close.  Actually this whole incident happened maybe a half mile from the concert's location.  We pulled over as best we could on the freeway, then this guy who was driving the car in front of ours pulled over in front of us.  He told us to turn on the heat full blast.  Apparently it makes the car cool a bit.  The guy said that he had been having the same problem as us earlier that day.  He told us to cost down the hill, because if we kept the car on we would blow out the engine.  We coasted down and parked by a factory.  This was probably around 7:10.  My mom decided to leave a pleading note on the window of the car, telling Triple A not to take our car, that we would be back after Taylor Swift's concert.  I had my textbooks in the car, because I was finishing my homework on the way to Tacoma.  So I gathered them up and put them in a bag to take them to the concert, just in case our car was taken.  The guy gave us a ride to the Tacoma Dome.  Since he is a Roadie he is allowed to go to the back of the place, that's where all Taylor Swift's semis were parked.  He took us on a detour back there just so I could see all the trucks!  There were A LOT of them, and if you were at the concert you would know why!  During the concert there were fireworks and sparkles coming out of the ceiling!  Taylor changed dresses at least 10 times!  At one point, she came out through the crowd on a gondola!!!  It was sooooo amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  After the show I got a Taylor Swift t-shirt and a Speak Now bracelet!!  We walked back to the factory and... our car was there!!  Since it was night we drove back and the car was fine!  We were driving when it was my birthday!

Day 4 in Saint Louis (Tuesday)

Katie and I were awakened this morning by Uncle David.  We went to another tennis lesson and played a few games together.  When we got back we climbed trees in the park across from Nannah and Poppop's house.  We got sap all over our hands and Katie used paint thinner to get it off.  I refused to do so.  After a picnic lunch which Katie and I made, we caught fish in the pond.  Then when Aunt Kris, Uncle Tom, and Tim came we bombarded them with these spiky ball things that came off the trees.  After that we all went to Pi for dinner.  Pi is a pizzeria.  When we were done Katie, Tim, Aunt Kris, and Uncle Tom left.

Day 3 in Saint Louis (Monday)

After sleeping very well, I was awakened by Nannah at 7:30.  We had a quick glass of OJ, then went to a tennis lesson.  It was fun, and I did better than when we played tennis last year!  When we got home we had a breakfast of fruit with yogurt.  Poppop fixed up Nannah's bike, so I could ride it, and then we went biking.  After we got back, Nannah and I went to the store.  When we came home Uncle David and Aunt Lynn were here.  We all talked for a while, then Nannah and I made deviled eggs.  Why do they call them that??  We had a large dinner that consisted of fruit, soup, and the eggs.  When we were finished Katie and Uncle Tom came.  Katie and I then watched part of a movie and went to sleep.

Day 2 in Saint Louis (Sunday)

I woke up a few times during the night due to the hotness of the air, but I slept until 9:30.  Nannah made these hard little cornmeal "pancakes" that I can only describe as interesting.  Nannah and Poppop both agreed.  My Aunt Kris, Uncle Tom, and cousins (Katie and Tim) came over.  Katie and I went out to the fish pond in the back yard.  She got in it and begged me to do so too, to which I declined.  Most of us went on a walk around the neighborhood after that.  Katie and I took a different rout and thought we were lost.  But we finally found the rest of the people!  Katie gathered these little seed things and we pelted Tim with them.  Our lunch was a yummy smorgasbord.  Katie and I went to the pond again and fed the goldfish cantaloupe rinds (they enjoyed them very much!).  Then my aunt, uncle, and cousins left.  While my grandparents took naps, I wrote.  Then Nannah and I made chocolate, zucchini cake.  We had omelets, salad, and bread for dinner.  Cake for dessert and Nannah beat me in cribbage. :(

My Second Annual Trip to Saint Louis

Day 1 (Saturday, August 27, 2011):

I got up at 7:00am to go to the airport.  We got there at 11:10 and the plane boarded at 11:30.  Even though I thought I was going to miss the flight, it went alright.  After 3 hours, 15 minutes, and a spilled cup of Dr. Pepper (the nice lady sitting one seat down from me gave me some wipes to clean it up with) I arrived in the Saint Louis airport.  It was 94 degrees.  My grandparents (Nannah and Poppop) were there and they took me to an ice cream booth, I got chocolate.  We got to their car and drove to their house.  There was a party next door for the new neighbors that we went to and had a barbecue dinner.  After that Nannah went to an opera and I beat Poppop in cribbage!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

I'm going to be in The Best Christmas Ever. I will be Imogene; a loud, bossy, and crafty Herdman child who knows nothing about the real Christmas story. Ciara will also be in it. She's going to play Alice; a prim, propper, and a pain in the neck kind of girl. We start rehearsals at Key City Public Theater in October. We preform four weekends in December. Come see it!!!!

My Last Day in Saint Louis

Tenth Day Friday: August 20, 2010

Weather: 85 F

I woke up today and had cereal for breakfast.  I drew until lunch when we had grilled cheese sandwiches.  After lunch I had leftover mocha ice cream and it started to thunder.  The sky got really dark and the solar lights went on.  Nannah helped me with my rug while we watched tennis.  We had a snack of coke and cranberries.  We went to the store and when we came back Poppop made beans and rice for dinner.  After dinner we had ice cream and I did my nails, much to Nannah's dislike!  While I was painting them a siren turned on and we put on the TV.  It was a tornado warning!  I went and got my stuffed animals and jacket in case we had to sleep in the basement.  Then it turned off.  Now Nannah and Poppop are packing for coming out to Port Townsend and it is thundering!

My Trip to Saint Louis (9)

Ninth Day Thursday: August 19, 2010

Weather: 96 F

For breakfast I had a spinach omelet and toast.  Nannah likes to hook rugs so she teaches her grandchildren how.  So I started a little rug.  Their maid came by and saw how I was hooking and she said no one ever made her something hooked so I got the idea of making her a hooked S because her name is Sharron.  We went out to pizza and I got pesto and tomato and coke.  When we came back I used the computer while Nannah watched tennis on the TV.  We made mocha ice cream in the ice cream maker and had pesto pasta for dinner.  Nannah made the pesto from basil in the garden.  We had the ice cream for dessert and it was really good!!!!  Nannah likes to watch a TV show called Doc Martin so Nannah and I watched that while Poppop did the dishes.  There was this other movie on so we watched that till 11:00pm.  I hooked a bit of my rug while I watched.  Then I listened to my iPod for a bit and went to sleep.

 Ben & Jerry's Mocha Ice Cream
Yield: 1 quart

2 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons freeze-dried coffee
2 large pasteurized eggs

Mix cream, milk, sugar, cocoa and coffee in mixing bowl until blended.  Whisk eggs in another bowl until light yellow.  Pour eggs into cream mixture; stir until blended.  Transfer mixture to ice cream maker.  Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. 

My Trip to Saint Louis (8)

Eighth Day Wednesday: August 18, 2010

Weather: 89 F

I woke up and read for a while.  We had polenta, eggs and yogurt for breakfast.  Then we packed up and I ran to the car so I wouldn't get any bug bites.  Down by the lake I collected some geodes to crack open and find crystals.  Then I got in the car and read most of my book on the way back.  When we got back Nannah had to go to a doctors appointment so Poppop and I caught the Metro to the Arch.  I took lots of pictures!  We got our tickets and we had an hour until the next tram would take us up so went in the pioneer museum.  I saw some Omish like people, some African people and some Indian Buddest monks.  There was also a family with a kid named Kaya, who turned out to be in our tram.  We lined up and waited for a while then we got in.  The trams are very small and tight, only five seats in it.  People who are claustrophobic would probably not have a good time inside it!  When we got to the top you can look out of the little windows, I took more pictures!  You could see right into the baseball stadium.  We went down to the ground and walk to the city gardens.  It has a bunch of sculptures that you can climb on and water that you can play in.  I swam in the fountain and got completely soaked!  Then we took the Metro back.  I had to stand so I wouldn't get the seat wet!   When we got  back I took a warm bath and we had leftover spanakopita and vanilla ice cream for dessert.  We went to bed.

My Trip to Saint Louis (7)

Seventh Day Tuesday: August 17, 2010

Weather: 85 F

We woke up and had cereal for breakfast.  Then we packed our bags, because we were going to the country.  Nannah and Poppop have a log cabin there and they stay there sometimes.  Poppop and I walked to the bank and back, then we left an hour behind schedule!  When we got to the cabin we got settled and Nannah and I played a game called rush hour.  We put on our bathing suits, grabbed a few noodles and went down to the pool/lake (it's a lake with a dam so part of it is concrete which makes it look like a pool).  Poppop is a lung doctor and he told me a story about when one of his patients had a minnow down their windpipe.  There were minnows in the lake so I was worried that one would go down mine!  The water was cold but you warmed up to it after awhile, it was kind of refreshing.  We went back to the cabin and took showers.  After mine I decorated Poppop's hat and drew on a pillow case.  The pillow case said in big letters:  SAVE OUR ANIMALS then in small cursive letters it said: their lives our precious just like ours. And I drew a pig, chic and sheep on it!  Nannah and Poppop's friends who have a cabin right by Nannah and Poppop's got a guide dog and they wanted to show him to us.  We went outside to see the dog and standing there I got six mosquito bites.  They were sooooo itchy!!!  Nannah said not to scratch them or I'd get an infection, it was so hard not to though.    We had ratatouille and polenta for dinner and chocolate for dessert!  Nannah and I played a game of cribbage and she won, sadly!  I went to bed to the sound of crickets.

My Trip to Saint Louis (6)

Sixth Day Monday: August 16, 2010

Weather: 87 F

We woke up and had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.  Then Nannah and Poppop picked me up from their house.  We had grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato and mustard.  While we were eating lunch I had  the idea of making spanakopita for dinner.  Spanakopita is a Greek food, made of spinach and feta cheese wrapped in filo doe.  The first time I had it was at the Oregon Country Fair and it was sooooo good!  I looked up spanikopita on the Internet and found a good recipe.  We made a list of the ingredients so we could get them at Whole Foods.  Before we went shopping we picked up our pottery from Your Pots Desire, they looked really good now that the glaze was on them.  Then we went to REI because Nannah wanted to get a backpack and sandals.  After she bought the backpack we went to the grocery store and got our ingredients.  There was some really good cheese on sample and we kept coming back for another piece.  When we got back to Nannah and Poppop's house we started to make the spanikopita.  When it was all finished we had dinner on the porch.  The spanikopita was as good as I remembered.  It tasted good and we had a fun time making it so it must be good for you!!! 

Greek Spanakopita:
 Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 sheets phyllo dough
1/4 cup olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

My Trip to Saint Louis (5)

Fifth Day Sunday: August 15, 2010

Weather: 91 F

Katie wanted to take me to Six Flags.  Sadly I hated roller coasters, but all of the rides weren't roller coasters.  So Uncle Tom took Katie, Tim and I.  They had season passes and Aunt Kris's was kind of blurry so they said I could use that one.  I was worried the people who look at the passes would find out.  But while I was at the park I would be Kris!  We stopped and got cinnamon rolls and then drove the thirty minutes to Six Flags.  From the highway you could see the park, I said, "Wow it's huge!"  Katie pointed out the rides that I would probably not want to go on and the ones that I might want to.  We put sunscreen on and then went in.  Katie and I went of by ourselves.  First we went to Evil Kneivil -a really scary looking roller coaster, I wanted to watch it first, before getting in line because I didn't think I wanted to go on it, but Katie persuaded me to watch it in line.  We got on in the front, much to my dislike and Katie saying that the front was the least scariest and then it started.  It was really scary but I like it (a bit).  My hands were shaking when it was done.  We went rode two more times!  When we got off we looked at the picture they took of us on the ride and Katie had her arms above her head and I had my face screwed up!  We were so hot and sweaty that we decided to go on the Log Flume -you get in a log and you go down a hill in the water and you get splashed!  We got wet of course and when we looked at the picture of us all you could see was my blue shirt because we both ducked down in our log.  We went on a ride that is exactly like the scrambler (anyone who has been to the Port Townsend carnival).  I think we got sunburned just waiting for it to start.  Isn't it funny how some rides get off in gift shops, especially at Disney World?!  Katie really wanted to take me on her favorite, Batman, it goes upside down.  I put my foot down on that one!  We went to a little roller coaster called Mine Train.  It is a lot bigger than the little one at the Port Townsend carnival but still little compared to the other roller coasters in Six Flags.  Katie said it didn't have any loops so I said okay.  When it started Katie told me there was something at the end, I freaked out because I thought it would be a loop.  Then I saw a dark tunnel and I thought it was going to have things pop out and scare you so I closed my eyes.  I heard people scream and I opened my eyes at the end and asked Katie what happened, she said it had a really slanted hill.  I wasn't even scared.  We went on it again.  Then we went to a roller coaster called the Scream'n Eagle.  It had ups and downs that were almost strait, but no loops.  I was excited!  We got in and it started.  I think the scariest part was going up the hills waiting to go down, not the going down itself.  I felt something on my foot and looked down, it was a cell phone!  So when we got off we asked the people behind us if it was theirs, they said no so Katie gave it to the person who runs the roller coaster.  We met back up with Uncle Tom and Tim and had peanut butter and jelly's.  Some geese were standing around so we gave them our bread and they got really close to us.  We saw that they had those tracking things around their legs. :(  We went into the park and went to the water park place.  Katie and I went to the little kid place that technically we weren't supposed to be in.  It had a big bucket of water that would fall on you!  After that Uncle Tom, Tim, Katie and I went to the water slides.  We went on one that had five people tube things only the bottom wasn't a hole.  After that Uncle Tom and Tim went of to the really scary slides while Katie and I went in the lazy river.  When we got out of the river Uncle Tom and Tim weren't there yet so we went in the wave pool.  It had giant waves!!!!  Uncle Tom and Tim found us so we got out of the park and into the car.  Uncle Tom had to leave O'Fallon at 5:30pm because he works in Kansas City, four hours away.  We got to their house and had leftover Chinese food.  Nannah and Poppop were supposed to pick me up but Aunt Kris said I could stay another night. (Nannah and Poppop went to a funeral in New Jersey while I stayed in O'Fallon.)  Katie and I watched Mean Girls and then Aunt Kris watched Wild Child with us.  We went to bed.

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Fourth Day Saturday: August 14, 2010

Weather: 97 F

Katie and I woke up a few minutes before Aunt Kris came in to tell us that we had to leave soon because Katie's (not mine too) grandpa's house's basement had flooded.  He lives in a fancy nursing home now and is trying to sell his house but hasn't yet.  Katie and I left her house with images in our mind of five inch deep water.  I dared her to swim in it!  Before we went to his house we got croissants and muffins.  When we finally got there a lot of cars were in the driveway.  We went down to the basement and were surprised to see that the basement wasn't filled with water, it had had a leak and soaked the carpet.  They took the carpet out.  Everyone had their breakfast and Katie and I went upstairs to watch TV.  We had a tickle fight!  When we left we stopped by at Katie's grandpa's nursing home by ourselves and after we said hi to him we got to go to the ice cream parlor downstairs (fancy right?!).  You get to scoop your own ice cream!  Katie invited some of her friends to her neighborhood pool and we swam and went down the slide for a while, we had pizza there.  Then we went to this frozen custard place (more ice cream!).  We went back to Katie's and she was really hyper and laughed at everything.  When she was over her laughing fit we wanted to play this 300 wishes game but it needed at least three people to play so we asked Tim to play it with us and he didn't want to.  Aunt Kris made him.  When we were done with the game we went to bed.

My Trip to Saint Louis (3)

Third Day Friday: August 13, 2010

Weather: 100 F

I woke up at 7:30 and had eggs and toast for breakfast.  Nannah said I had to have energy for tennis.  We met Nannah's friend and her grandson at Tilles park to play tennis.  I am really awful at it!  I can never hit the ball.  Or serve it!  We came back to Nannah and Poppop's house,  I took a bath and had leftover tomato pie.  Poppop took me out to O'Fallon to see my cousins Katie and Tim.  Katie was off at cheer leading.  Aunt Kris, Uncle Tom and Tim met Poppop and me at the gas station.  Aunt Kris said Tim was a fashion expert (I don't know if she meant fashion expert or "fashion expert") so they took me to the mall to buy a school outfit. We went to J.C. Penny and got jeans and a shirt and then Aunt Kris and I went to Claire's and got earrings while Tim was at Macy's.  Then we went to pick up Katie.  She told us her list of where they needed to take me that weekend that I was staying with them.  City Gardens, City Museum and Six Flags.  We went to their house and Katie and I made friendship bracelets while watching a movie.  We had Chinese take out and then made sugar cookies and finished the movie.  Then we went upstairs and watched another.  We went to bed.

My Trip to Saint Louis (2)

Second Day  Thursday: August 12, 2010

Weather: 99 F

I slept late and I had two small boxes of sample cereal for breakfast. We sat around for a while and I ironed some cloths, surprisingly I like to iron, it's something that doesn't take a lot of work.   We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before Nannah took me took me to Your Pots Desire (a store where you can paint pottery).  I painted a bowl, it took all afternoon and when we got out of the store it was sprinkling (a little).  Nannah and I made June's Tomato Pie.  Yum!!  While it was in the oven Nannah and Poppop's friend who is raising money to pay for graduate school by working for this company that makes and sells knives came by to give us a thirty minute tutorial.  We got to test the knives on leather and rope and see how they compared to the knives that Nannah and Poppop own.  Guess what?  The lady's knives worked better.  She told us why.  Nannah had a hard time choosing which ones to get for a thirty day trial, partly because the lady kept saying different deals that she could give us.  When she left, the tutorial had been more than two hours!  We ate the tomato pie and corn for dinner, we sat on their screened porch because it had cooled down that night.

June's Tomato Pie Recipe:

put pie crust in pie pan and bake on 425 F for five minutes

put 3-4 sliced tomatoes,
salt and pepper and
2 tops chopped fresh basil or 1 top dried chopped chives or scallions in pie crust

mix 1/2 cup mayo and
8oz monteray jack together and spread over tomatoes

cook on 400 F for 35 minutes  Enjoy!!!

My Trip to Saint Louis

These are old emails I sent about my trip where I went to Saint Louis in August.

First Day Wednesday: August 11, 2010

Weather: 100 F
Humidity: a lot (I don't know how much, but it felt like A LOT!)

I got to go on the plane by myself, for the first time!!!  It was awesome and bumpy!  The flight left Seattle at 1:00pm and got to Saint Louis at 6:00pm.  Even though it sounds like the flight was five hours it was really only three (Saint Louis is two hours ahead of Seattle). My Grandpa Jim (Poppop) was waiting at the gate and my Grandma Timmie (Nannah) was sitting outside of security (they only allow one person to pick up unaccompanied miners).  We went to their house in University City (Saint Louis) and had a dinner of ratatouille and couscous, potato salad and green salad.  Vanilla ice cream for dessert!  I went to bed.

Snow!

Today is a snow day for my school!  It's white outside and snowing right now!

Lake Chelan

I'm going cross-country skiing in Lake Chelan this weekend! I get to miss school today too!

Cousins

These are my two cousins in Ohio!  The nine-month-old is named Hailey and the four-year-old is named Kaylynn.




 

Leni!

This is my adorable 10 month old puppy, Leni!  We got her over the holidays!

My Easy Apple Crisp

Butter a 6-cup muffin tin.  Chop an apple into thin slices, put   3 slices in each cup. Mix 6 tablespoons oats, 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 cup melted butter in a small bowl.  Put 1 tablespoon oat mixture on top of apples.  Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.  Enjoy!!  Makes 6 muffin-cup sized portions.